Starting device for automobile-engines.



J. S. CLARKE. STARTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1910.

1,006,064. Patented Oct. 17,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. S. CLARKE. STARTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES. APPLICATION IILBD- NOV. 14,1910.

1,006,064, Patented Oct. 17, 1911; 5

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Ii5 E RADIATOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. CLARKE. or EAST cnnvnmnn, 01110, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T annxeunna H. LANGELL, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

STARTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 14, 19-10. Serial No. 592,28 2.

PatentedOct. 17, 1911.

' Toall whom it mag concern:

. citizen of the United States, residing at East Cleveland, in-the county of Cuyahoga and 'State of v Ohio, 'have invented certain new :and useful Improvements in Starting Devices for'Automobile-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

y starting devices for automobile engines,'and theiimprovement consists in the means herein described and claimed-wherewith crankview on line 4-4.,

iug of the engine is accomplished, either by hand ormotor as the operator may elect-or the need requires and wherein a reversal of movement of the cranking motor may be obtained to store fiu-id' under pressure in a suitable receptacle for starting or other purposes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view and elevation of the front portion of an automobile showing my improvement embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a sectional view enlarged as compared with Fig. 1, of the valve and controller parts located beneath the seating platform of the machine. Fig. 3 is a front view, partly in section, of the cranking motor and drive partstherefor, as seen when looking inward from line 3-3, Fig. 1'. Fig. 4.- is a plan Fig. 2, of the operating connections for the air valve and gear clutches. Fig. 5 is. a sectional view and side ed to enter and make frictional engagement.

elevation of the cranking motor and clutch mechanism at the-front in line with the engine shaft. Fig. 6 is .a plan view partly in section, of the mechanism seen in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a cross-section on line 7-7, Fig. 6. i

In detail, Fig. 1 represents an automobile A of a common type having engine 2 located at its front and beneath hood 3, and provided with radiator 4 and fan 5 as usual. This fan is driven by belt- 6 and pulleys 7 and 8, respectively, from engineshaft 9,:pulley 8 on the front end of the shaft being fixed thereon in any suitable way. In my improvement, pulley 8 is also utilized as a clutch member, being provided with an annular groove 10 at one side within which annular rim 11 o a clutch-disk 12 is adapt- Cranking of engine shaft 9 is accomplished by means of these clutch parts and shortshaft 14: carrying clutch-disk 12,'which shaftexinvention relates to improvements in tends forwardly and in line with engine shaft 9 to a point in advance of radiator 5. Hand-cranking is obtained by crank handle I 15 having an-axis portion v16 adapted to enter a socket'17 mounted on a clutch mom ber 18 splined to rotate with shaft .14. Member 18 is free to rotate in'a bearing arm 19 fixed to. stationary motor casing 29 and an annular flange 21 engages said bearin arm on its inside face to limit outward movement of member 18.- Therefore-when the transverse pin 22 of crank portion 15 is entered into socket 17 with said pin in, seating engagement with the inclined slot or slots '23 therein, a turn of the handle will forcibly move crank portion 16 into contact with the end of shaft 14 and thereby move said shaft axially in its bearings 24 and cause clutching engagement bet-ween clutch-disk 12 and pulley 8. Then obviously a continued turn of the crank will rotate engine shaft 9 until starting of engine 2 is accomplished, ywhereupon disengagement of clutch disk 12 is effected automatically-a coiled spring 25 withinv the capped end-of bearing 24'serving to retire shaft 14 as operations at the crank-handle are discontinued.

When the engine is in operation, air may be stored under compression in a tank T, shown as attached to the car body under seat. 26. although it may be elsewhere located. For this purpose I employ a rotarymotor M (preferably of a reversible kind and water-jacketed-if desired) and support the same atthe front of radiator 4 immediately above shaft '14. .This motor may be ofthe type shown in Fig. 3, consisting ofa rotor 27 mounted on-a shaft 28 set eccentrically'within circular casing 29 and hav-. ing' slidable piston blades 31 radially arranged to present opposite working areas for either driving or pump purposes, depending upon the direction of rotation of IQbOr 2 erating fluid is understood to be air,"which may be compressed in tank T by rotation rotor 27 reversely to the direction indicated by arrow 31' in Fig. 3. Air is then taken in at port 32 and discharged through port 105 f desired, and when. the requisite amount of '110 In the present instance the opair has been stored under compression, rotor 27 is thrown out of gear-and stopped. .The

.drive gearing to operate rotor '27 as a pump consists of aset of meshed gears'.-37 and 38- mounted on rotor shaft 28- and shaft 14, respectively. However, gear. 38 is free to rotate on each shaft 14 and is only rota ted I .by said shaftwhenclutch ring 39. is: frictionally engaged therewith, an annular groove 40; being provided in the faceof the of ring 39. This ring is free to slide axially on shaft 14 and-is also splined thereto by" key 42seatedin'sl6t 43, .a'nd'a loose collar 44 in the grooved'extremity of ring 39' is connected "by a'pair' of links 50 with oscil-J lating lever 45. This lever'is operated from the seat platform ofth'e vehicleby handle 46 on rotatable stem'47 or its. equivalent, and

connecting rods 48'48,' attached to the :ends

of said lever and to the ends .of a like lever 49 at the'bottom end of rotatable stem 47,

see Figs. 4 and 6. Lever is of yoke-shape (see 7) and pivotally secured to a slidable sleeve 49' "on shaft" 14 and has a second pair of links 51 connected therewith at oneside of its pivot and with a 'free 'collar 52 mounted on front clutch member 18. The 1 single lever 45 operates both clutches 18 and '39, but independently npo'n" reverse movements thereof from its normal'position ofrest shown in full'jlines, Fig. 6'. Thus when rod 48 is drawn forward by a rotative movement of stem 47' in the direction of arrow 53 (see Figs. 4 and 6,),clutch member 181s throwninto' action, and when rod 48' is drawn forward, clutch ring 39 is actuated. Both clutch parts cannot possibly come intoclutchingrelation at the same time as links 51 serve as toggles to thrust one of said parts out of. clutching relation when the other is. thrown into clutching relation. To 1llustrate',when rod 48' isv drawn forward,

. collarw52 of clutch memberIlS is pressed against flange 21jwhich flange isbacked .by I bearing 19.-- This is a nongactive position of 'clutch"member 18,-see Fig.1 5,. and asa result toggle link 51' thereupon becomes a ful- 1' cru m point for lever 45 rtommove vinto the inclined position represented by dotted line It i with gear38 to operate motor h as a its cooperating wheel 8 on engine'shaft 9.

The latter operation occurs simultaneously "ally'by key 42 when ring39 is carried to relations bein ICOmPI'QSSIOII 0 air in tank T proceeds untll with the former, shaft 14 being moved, axis the left the end of said key enga ing shoulder 54 of key slot '43, see Fig. 5. T ese established, pumping and theioperator throws out clutches 12 and 39 '1' ointly.

My object in compressing the air in tank T is to obtain a-su-pply-for repeated starting operations by means of .motorM. To this end I provide motor shaft 28 with a sprocket,

gear 55tp'operate a sprocket chain '56 and therethrough'a gear 57 "secured to clutch wheel 58 which is free to rotate on the reduced portion .of its co-acting member 18.

This sprocket gearing will rotate shaft14 in the same direct-ion as rotor 27, which is necessary-when engine 2 is to be cranked.

by motor Furthermore, open communi- I cation must be established with tank. T to operate rotor 27 by air pressure-'andthis is accomplished by forcible uplift of check valve. 35 when clutch member 18 is thrown into action by pull upon rod 48 and. shift ofjlever 45 into the inclined position indi- Heated by dotted line SS, Thus, in Fig. 2 I show a separate slidable stem 58 supported beneath 'check valve 35, which stem is engaged at its lower exposed extremity bybell-crank 60 connected tolever 49 by link61, and whenever the operator rotates controlled shaft 47 in thedlrection of arrow 53 (see 4) check valve 35 is v opened and clutch member 18 carried into clutching enga'ement with wheel 51. But this alone won (1 not be effective as clutch:

disk 12 must also be moved axially at thistime to clutch pulley 8 on engine shaft 9, which operation occurs-by contact ofkey 62 in the hub of member 18 with shoulder 63 at the inner end ofkey-' way 64in shaft 14. In other words shaft.14 .is moved axially to the left when clutch member 18 is moved to the left, thereby.

throwing in clutch-disk 12 at the same time. Now it will be noted that sprocket gear 58? is larger than gear 56 and therefore power that .motor M- is the driver. turns are generally needed' to start an internal combustion'engine, and where a rotary motor M is employed for starting purposes economy and. power is gained by gearing down as shown. But on theother hand if the same motor is to be used as a pump, a

high s eed of its rotor is desired. The is also 0 tained in my improvement, as the reason of end is gained at the expense of speedassuming V Only a few reversing gears 37 and 38 are particularly proportioned. to drive rotor 27 at the same speed as engine shaft '9. A higher rate of speed than this may also be obtained-if needed by gearing up-ample power being obtainable from engine 2 to drive small motor M. p I a In addition to the foregoing my improvement has the'advantage of hand-cranking to start the engine initially say before air is compressed into tank T or in the failure of the operator to observe that the supply has fallen belowthe mark required to operate motor M. However, by observing reasonable precaution the operator can always maintain a full supply in tank T to start ator is not entirely dependent upon the selfcranking device.

In place of rotatable shaft 47, I may use a pivoted lever and a single rod l8 to operate lever 45 in reverse directions. In fact the means shown for operating the clutches 18 and 39, respectively, may be consider ably modified and still obtain the same results, and I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown an described. The clutches may also be of a different type than shoivn or ratchet mechanism may be substituted.

If a reciprocating motor is used instead of rotary motorM, the gearing connections would necessarily have to be changed and different valve mechanism substituted,

What I claim is:

1. In a starting device for automobile engines, an engine having a crank shaft, in combination with a tank and a fluid'motor having valved communication therewith, and means connecting said crank shaft and said motor comprising separate gearing adapting reversal movements of "said motor and separate means to control independent operations thereof for the purposes described.

2. In a starting device for automobile engines, an engine having a crank shaft and a starting shaft and a clutch on said shafts, in combination with a tank and a fluid motor having valved communications therebetween, separate direct and indirect gear connections between said motor and said startin shaft, and separate clutching devices or said separate gear connections adapting said motor to operate either. as a cranking device or as a compressor.

3. In a starting device for automobile engines, an engine crank shaft having an axi-. ally movable shaft extension, and clutching devices on said shafts, in combination with a fluid motor having separate sets of gear connections with said shaft extension to produce rotatable movements of the motor shaft either in the same direction or in a reverse direction in respect to the crank shaft, separate clutching devices for said gear connections adapted to mbve said shaft extension axially when either is operated, and means to operate said clutching devices independently.

4. In a starting device for automobile engines, an engine having a crank shaft and a shaft extension having a clutch to connect the same rotatably with said crank shaft, in combination with a reversible fluid motor having a set of reversing gears and direct w driving gear connections with said shaft extension, a. separate clutch for said gears and gear connections and meansto operate said clutches independently and co-jointly with said shaft extension.

5. In a starting device for automobile engines, an engine having a crank shaft provided with asep'arate shaft extension mount ed to move axially, and clutching members between said parts, in combination with a fluid motor having gear and clutching'connections with said shaft extension, and a 7 separate crank handle and means carried by one of said clutches to move said shaft extension axially during handcranking operations.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. JOHN s. CLARKE.

Witnesses:

R. B. Mosnn, E. M. FISHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

